What happened to chestnuts in the United States? Several hundred years ago the American chestnut was the dominant
tree in the Appalachian Mountain range. In the late 1800’s Chinese chestnut trees were brought into the U.S. for
experimental planting. Unfortunately the imported trees carried a fungus to which the American chestnuts had no
resistance. The result was that the American chestnut died off throughout the range where it occurred most densely
(the fungus could spread from tree to tree). The American chestnut remains in isolated locations, but no longer
stands as king of the forest.